Nutrition plays an important role in all aspects of bone physiology. Poor eating habits will prevent normal development of bone in childhood and early adulthood, and can accelerate the rate of bone loss with advancing age.
Although overall good nutrition is important, research has shown that the absolute amounts of calcium and the relative ratio of calcium to certain other foodstuffs in the diet are the most crucial nutrition and determinants of bone health. Calcium has also been discovered to lower blood pressure, and hypertension and has demonstrated an ability to suppress colon cancer. All persons experience a decline in their ability to absorb calcium with advancing age. Men and women also develop a relative deficiency in lactase, the enzyme necessary to digest the sugar lactose found in milk; and this leads to a decreased consumption of calcium-rich milk and other dairy products. In women, menopause brings on an additional decline in the efficiency of calcium absorption. In order to protect the bones of females at menopause, their calcium requirement jumps from a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 800 milligrams (pre-menopausal) to 1400 milligrams (post-menopausal). Unfortunately, this is the time when many women are developing "lactose intolerance" or eliminating dairy products from their diet due to their contents of fats and sugar. North-American women on the average only consume around 450 milligrams of calcium each day.
Females must also be concerned with the calcium to phosphorus ratio in their daily diet. Phosphorus is also an essential component of bone but if the ratio of calcium to phosphorus falls below 2:1, then the excess phosphorus will compete with calcium and calcium absorption will be reduced. Phosphorus is widely used as a food additive and is therefore a major component of many processed foods, especially soft drink beverages. In order to maintain the proper ratio, calcium intake and absorption must be increased.
Magnesium is another mineral which is essential in the daily diet. Magnesium combines with calcium to augment the lowering of blood pressure and hypertension, and further suppress colon cancer. Magnesium is also required for many enzyme activities and for nueromuscular transmission.
There is some evidence that supplemental magnesium in the diet may help also prevent the formation of calcium oxalate stones in the kidney, and in females it may aid in the reduction of premenstrual tension and the severity of menstrual cramps.
Potassium is also another mineral which is essential for the human body. Potassium has been found to additionally and further aid females in the reduction of premenstrual tension and severe menstrual cramps as well as leg cramps in active women.
Required levels of calcium, magnesium and potassium cannot be supplemented by commercial, non-dairy beverages for they are unavailable. The prior art does not teach or suggest any beverage for nutritional supplementation of high levels of calcium alone, or high levels of calcium and magnesium, or potassium along with high levels of calcium and magnesium.
Laborit et al in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,859 (patented Nov. 21, 1961) teaches potassium and magnesium aspartate compositions as anti-fatigue drugs. Laborit et al teaches that fatigue is relieved by the salts of aspartic acid. Laborit et al does not teach or suggest that fatigue is due to the replacement of essential fluids lost through perspiration and the physiological effects of potassium and magnesium ions. Laborit et al does not teach or suggest the necessity of having and administering both the potassium and magnesium salt of aspartic acid. Laborit et al does not teach or suggest the appropriate number of meq. of potassium or calcium ion to number of meq. of magnesium ion ratio to provide the suitable amount of fluid for intake by the average human body. Laborit et al does not teach or suggest calcium aspartate or calcium orotate for reducing blood pressure and reducing blood alcohol into inactive forms, and supplying a rapidly and higher absorbable source of calcium which does not cause gastric upset and stomach bloating.
Epting Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,770 (patented on May 15, 1984, over twenty-two (22) years after Laborit et al's patent) teaches prompt availability of electrolytes as important in maintaining body fluid electrolyte levels of persons, and disclose a beverage comprising an aqueous solution, containing per gallon: 30-50 meq. of K ion (which can be in the form of chloride, nitrate, sulfate, acetate, lactate, tartrate, benzoate, citrate, or other soluble salt, with chloride being the preferred); 5-10 meq. of Ca ion (which is in the form of a soluble salt such as acetate, chloride, gluconate, iodide, lactate, maleate, nitrate, and proprionate, with gluconate being the preferred); 1-3 meq. of Mg ions (which is introduced in the form of a soluble salt such as acetate, benzoate, chloride, iodide, lactate, nitrate, with chloride being the preferred), and sucrose which is hydrolyzed in the digestive tract to glucose and fructose, which are absorbed into the blood stream and further metabolized. Epting teachs the use of sucrose in the beverages of his inventions provides a carbohydrate source which permits release of energy in the slower but more sustained, fashion than is possible when glucose is used as the principal carbohydrate source. Epting discloses an aqueous solution containing per gallon a 1.6-10.0 Ca ion to Mg ion ratio, and a 11.6-60K ion plus Ca ion, to Mg ion ratio. Epting Jr. does not teach or suggest introducing the Ca ion or the Mg ion or the K ion into the aqueous solution in the form of a non-soluble salt. Epting Jr's beverage could over medicate the average human body and limit the amount of fluid intake because of an insufficient quantity of Mg ions when compared to the quantity of K and Ca ions. The Mg ion is the "gate" ion which controls the absorption of the K and Ca ions from the human gut.
Kahm in U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,684 provides a dietetic beverage containing sugar, sodium chloride, potassium chloride and citric acid for supplementing sugars and essential salts in a mammalian body, depleted thereof during vigorous physical exercise.
Callaway in U.S. Pat. No. 2,224,252 discloses an alkaline food product containing sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium which product is admixed with various food or drinks. The product is said to correct the acid-base balance of athletes or of people suffering from acidosis.
Polli et al have proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,404 an effervescent composition, based on potassium chloride, for potassium replacement therapy. The composition also contains citric acid and a soluble sweetener. The effervescense of the composition is said to mask the unpalatable taste normally associated with potassium-containing solutions.
Citrus fruit beverages of concentrates, fortified with various inorganic salts, have been proposed by Aktins et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,424), Sperti, et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,641) and Houghtaling et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,562).
A product marketed as Gatorade R contains no fruit juice, but is artificially flavored with lemon-lime flavoring and contains glucose, sucrose, citric acid, salt, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate and potassium citrate. The product presently available contains 16 mq of sodium and 3 mq of potassium per ounce.
Hand et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,814 have disclosed a therapeutic chewing gum containing sodium and potassium chlorides, wherein the ratio of NaCl:KCl is at least 3:1.
What is needed and what has been invented by me is an all natural, non-dairy beverage for the nutritional supplementation in humans of calcium and magnesium and reducing blood pressure. What is also needed and what has been invented by me is a beverage which facilitates and controls the transport of the calcium ion into the human body, while lowering blood pressure and lowering the probability or tendency of incurring colon cancer. The beverages may also provide nutritional supplementation of magnesium and/or potassium to the human diet, and help to reduce premenstrual tension in women, and increase cardiac tolerance in conditions of anoxia. Any blood alcohol present in the human body is lowered by the beverage of this invention while supplying a rapidly and higher absorbable source of calcium to the human body and not causing any gastric upset and stomach bloating.